Shweta prolifically voices her passion for Indian, feminist and diverse science fiction and fantasy. In the past, she has spoken at Cartoon Museum London on comic trends and introduced Eurocon to trends in Indian Fantasy. She has also created extraordinary events to make people interact with speculative fiction, which include detective workshops and occult quizzes.

Relaxed after the book launch of The Matsya Curse at British Council

What inspires her

Gulmohar trees with their red blooms, a dead moth, a steaming hot cup of tea, the weathered lips of an old woman, or a crumpled newspaper. Her inspirations come from long walks in nature, morbid movies, passionate discussions on arbitrary questions of life, mythology and its perceptions.

Her heart thumps to the beats of Ursula Le Guin, Octavia E Butler, Roald Dahl, Lewis Carroll, Isaac Asimov, Terry Pratchett and comics by Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore. Her keyboard, family, husband and muse (who has the uncanny habit of dropping by when she’s sleeping) help her bring myriad stories to life. She still feels its magic.

A column on tantrism in fiction, Shweta wrote for Open magazine.

When she’s not writing novels…

She writes in-depth articles on how consumer technology is shaping the future for Livemint.com, a well-respected business daily in India. She also works on future of internet and open-source software with Cooby, a startup she has co-founded in Switzerland.

For questions on writing, check out this section. She has build her career with the help of a lot of kindness and support of a community of writers, some much senior to her, and is always available to guide, help or generally connect with upcoming authors and writers. If you’re struggling for words, work or looking for worldly advice about writing, the publishing industry or life, reach out to her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, or Instagram.

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When a Kaula tantrik is brutally murdered by his chandaali slave, detective Anantya Tantrist is all that stands between Delhi and the forces of darkness . “Edgy thriller” says Mid-Day. Order on Amazon.